Elliot dreams of being a graphic novelist.

My name is Elliot Betsaka. I’m 18 and am from Nahanni Butte, NT. I’m a pretty shy person and I don’t have a ton of experience being inside large cities (my village has a population of roughly 100 if that tells you anything) but I was excited to try something new and to travel away from home for the summer. NYA gave me the opportunity to see who I am, who I could be, when I’m unrestricted by everything that weighs me down back home. I’m transgender, and while I’m not in the closet, I don’t openly publicize it either. Being different in a small community can be difficult at the best of times, and nearly impossible at the worst of times.

When I was told I was being placed in Ottawa with a queer host family, and that one of my host parents was actually transgender as well, I was beyond excited. NYA actually cared about the issues I face being a trans youth and did their very best to be accommodating. They called me and asked me if I would be comfortable with a male or female host buddy, if I’d like to stay in the guys’ cabin at camp, what name or pronouns I prefer, and they made sure to let me know that they had my back.

Being in Ottawa meant that EVERYONE I met only knew me as Elliot, not my birth name, not who I used to be. I felt accepted and understood like never before when I met my host family. They introduced me to other trans and queer people and took me to some pride events where I was able to fully express myself.

The Northern Youth Abroad Canadian Program has given me so many wonderful experiences that I’ll never forget. I’ve met people from all around the world, each of them with their own lessons to teach me. I’ve had wild adventures together with my host family and an awesome time at my work placement. I worked at Virtual Ventures, an engineering and technology camp at Carleton University, and got to teach kids about programming, electronics, and multimedia.

Being away from home was hard, but it proved that I was capable of standing on my own, that I am able to survive out in the world. It gave me the reassurance I had been craving for a long time. I’m anxious about going to secondary, about leaving the North, but NYA helped me with that anxiety. I’m excited like never before to go on to the next chapter of my life and further my education.

They taught me and the other NYA participants all about scholarships, where to find funding, different degrees, colleges and universities, future careers, etc. They gave me the knowledge I needed to know what my next step is. There’s so much I don’t know about the South and secondary, and sometimes I didn’t know where to start. NYA made that easier for me. Now, I have a clearer understanding of what I want to do, where I want to go, and how I can get there. This summer changed me in a lot of ways, and all of this was made possible because of Northern Youth Abroad.

I’ve really enjoyed this program and can’t wait to come back again to do the other phases. Travelling and being away from home for so long can be really difficult but I think it was a good experience for all of us participants. We all need to leave the nest eventually and NYA gives you the chance to safely experience that while you gain valuable work experience. I know I’m coming back from this program better and badder than ever and I’m happy to know I’m still not done growing as a person. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and about the world this summer. I would recommend this program to anyone who’s eligible; you have to work hard, but in the end, it’s all worth it. I’ve had a great summer that I’ll never forget.

Chantell enjoys a windy day by the ocean in Campbell River, BC.

Hi, my name is Chantell Orlias and I’m from the small community of Colville Lake, NT. In the Canadian Phase of NYA, things have been pretty awesome so far. I’ve met a lot of people and I have gotten to do a lot of travelling, which I love.

I am really enjoying my time in the south and the work experience here in Campbell River, BC. I am working at a bakery for my summer volunteering placement. The place is small but it gets pretty busy some days. The people who work here are pretty cool and really fun to work with. I start work pretty early, at 6am, but I’ve always managed to get up and get to work on time. My placement buddy and I have a host mother who is pretty cool, and she is currently fostering two young kids with our stay in her home which I think is awesome. She is a social worker.

The time spent here has taken me by surprise, it is really beautiful here on Vancouver Island. It’s hot out most days but there is always wind so that is what makes this place so much better, for me anyways. We’ve been to Victoria, which was pretty amazing, and on the way there we passed through Nanaimo, which is about an hour and a half away. We got to meet up with some other NYA Participants who were placed on the island also. Overall, things have been great and I have not gotten too homesick. Campbell River has been more than I expected so I’m really grateful for this opportunity.

Cara by the pier in Sidney

Hello, my name is Cara Killiktee and I am from Pond Inlet Nunavut. I am placed in Sidney, BC. My work placement in Sidney is a daycare called Adel’s Play N Discovery House. My work experience involves teaching children the letters of the ABC’s and counting numbers up to 10. The cute little children that I teach in the daycare are from 3-6 years of age, which makes me happy because they are easy to understand and they tend to listen easily. I am happy to be placed in Adel’s Play N Discovery.

For every participant of the Canadian phase, we stay with host families and mine is Glen Brown and Cathy Brown along with their daughter Emily. I am also glad that I was placed with my host family because I get along with them so well (but they spoil me a little too much haha). While living here for five weeks I have noticed some different things here than in my home community. The differences I see is that their plants are longer than our shrubs, and they have many more kinds of bugs. The bugs I commonly see back home are black flies and mosquitos, but here they have all types, including wasps. What I also find different is the horses (THEY ARE HUGE! Unlike the dogs I see back home!) how I see the horses is that they are just big dogs to me! Just kidding, they are very unique animals!

I see some similarities in the culture here in Sidney with ours back home. For example, I have seen some Indigenous art designs here of their spirits, which are unique but also familiar to me. Their sewing techniques are pretty similar too – they make outdoor footwear here similar to our kamiks back home.

In the past few weeks here in Sidney, my host parents took me to the old car show that was held in Victoria BC. I saw some awesome old cars and trucks that were made in 1920’s-1980’s. I found it fascinating because I’m a bit obsessed with old-fashioned cars. With my work placement, my supervisors and I took the children to the Vancouver Aquarium and they loved it. (I sure did too!) It was fantastic because we got to see an octopus! Last but not least, of all my experiences here in Sidney, my favourite was when my host father took me on a ferry ride to the islands nearby. I loved every minute of it because it had also reminded me of the time I was on the CCGS Amundsen Coast Guard ship. While on the ferry, my host father let me stand on the bridge to get a good view and it was beautiful! I sure would like to come back here to BC to see my host family one day. My experiences ended with a trip to Vancouver with my host mother.  Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible.

Savanna volunteered as a youth leader at a YMCA camp for kids.

Hello everyone! My name is Savanna Pikuyak. I’m from Hall Beach, Nunavut. I’m a participant in the Canadian Program with Northern Youth Abroad and I was placed in Ottawa, Ontario volunteering at a YMCA youth summer camp with an age group from 6-9. I thought I never had a chance to go this year since I was an Alternate but I get a call the day before Orientation from NYA asking if I can go the next day, of course I said yes. I had a loving and welcoming host family with whom I got really close. My host parents welcomed many international students into their home but never from their own country, so it was a first for everybody. I took buses going to work so I became independent going to other places like the mall and other parts of Ottawa. The activities I did during the summer were: going to go see the Northern Lights Show downtown at the Parliament Hill, seeing horses for the first time, going to the National Art Gallery, and playing in the pool with my triplet host brothers and sister! Living in the south gave me the opportunity to get glasses. I had a great time at Orientation and Re-Orientation because I learned about other cultures and met other youth like me. I encourage youth from my community to apply for this program because I want them to experience what’s it like to live in the south and the opportunities you have while living here. NYA gives you the chance to be part of something big and I really enjoyed my experience!